07 April 2011

Better?

Because it is so difficult to make mashed potatoes from actual potatoes, there is now potato pearls. Has the world really come to this?

3 comments:

Kris said...

That's not a new thing though, is it? I definitely remember Mom making mashed potatoes from some sort of potato flakes when we were growing up. Can't remember what it was called though...

Christopher said...

You're probably remembering dehydrated potatoes which came in flake form. They were big when I was a kid in the 1970s and are still available. The ingredients are usually limited to potatoes and some preservatives.

Potato Pearls contain many more ingredients -- which significantly increases their "ick" factor. Here, from their website, are the ingredients for the extra rich version:

POTATO (DRY), SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, SHORTENING POWDER [PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, LACTOSE, SODIUM CASEINATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSHATE], CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, COTTONSEED), MONO AND DIGLYCERIDE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLOR. FRESHNESS PRESERVED WITH SODIUM BISULFITE AND BHT. CONTAINS MILK AND SULFITE INGREDIENTS.

I like my food as close to nature as possible, and try to avoid any prepared foods with more than three ingredients.

Kris said...

Idaho Spuds! It just came back to me. Yes, dehydrated flakes. I remember putting milk and butter in to reconstitute. :)